


Awkward Conversations

by Ikasury



Category: Persona 4
Genre: A Case of Beer Steak and a Condom, Awkward Conversations, Bike-Bros, Double Entendre, FRIENDshipping all the way, Gender Identity, Humor, Lots of Weird Questions, Reflection, Rise!PLZ, Sex Talk, Sexual Orientation, Sparkles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-19
Updated: 2016-04-19
Packaged: 2018-06-03 06:39:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6600724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ikasury/pseuds/Ikasury
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On Naoto's road of life she made a bizarre stop in a place called Inaba, that changed her path for the rest of her life. These are just a few conversations that may have helped that path along. All thanks to her unique relationships with her friends; Teddie, Yosuke and Rise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Awkward Conversations

**Author's Note:**

> I've been taunting Wishstone with the idea for this since we met... so since she just finished up 'I Love You Sensei' i figured i can be nice and post this~
> 
> Dis: All Persona 4 stuff owned by ATLUS... i'm just borrowing their babies for a bit~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teddie has a question that only Naoto can answer...

That Awkward Conversation – Teddie

“Hey Nao-chan~, I have a question?” The bouncy blonde boy-shadow, in his human form, skipped over to his friend in the middle of the street in Inaba’s shopping district.

“I’m in the middle of something Ted-” Naoto tried not to groan. She was down here as part of an investigation, even if it was a bit of an ‘unofficial’ one and more something she’d noticed herself. Also it was quieter in the shopping distract at this time of day and she honestly expected the bear to be working.

Teddie had a tendency to be grating enough to get on everyone’s nerves but charming, and in the Kanji’s words, _adorable_ enough to be accepted. His childlike naiveté was… refreshing in some lights but in others… well it could be quite bothersome.

In all honesty she would have blown the bear off had he not presented his next question.

“What’s gender and orientation?”

There was a pause as Naoto closed her phone and slowly turned to the bear, “I’m sorry, it sounded like you asked-”

“Mmhm!!” he gave a bright nod, “I was looking around on the internet! On my phone even though Yosuke says I shouldn’t and only use it to call, but I did anyway cause I heard all these voices and it sounded fun, but at the same time scary and-maphmmphmmphph…”

Naoto had her hand on his mouth and waited for him to stop, all the while just staring at him. “Why, Teddie-san, are you asking **_me_** such a… thing?”

The boy sparkled at her, “Oh! Well that’s cause every time I ask someone else they tell me to ask you!!”

This time Naoto did growl, automatically suspecting some manner of ulterior motive from their friends, “Though I suppose I **_would_** be the only one capable of giving you a concise answer…”

“Kuma?” confused sparkle.

Another flat stare, “very well, I shall answer to the best of my ability, now, what specifically did you want to know?”

Teddie brightened immediately and didn’t even miss a beat, asking plainly, “What is it?”

“As in…?” a cobalt brow rose, hoping he’d be more specific.

Instead there was only a confused shrug, “What is it?” head tilt, “I read online these meanies making a big deal about it but what wasn’t said was screaming with what was written so they seemed kind of confused so-”

“Stop,” Naoto pinched the bridge of her nose, “I fail to understand how you perceive the internet so I’ll just have to start with basics.” With a deep breath she lowered her hand, facing Teddie again, “What do you see when you see me?”

“Nao-chan?” was his blunt answer.

The detective could only give a light stare, hoping he would elaborate.

Teddie just tilted his head, “I dunno, I see you!” he gave bright smile before opening his eyes and noticing she was still staring at him expectantly. “Is that bad? Am I not supposed to?”

Naoto raised a brow, “How much about the differences in sex for humans do you understand Teddie-san?”

His head tilted further, “Well, Sensei’s a boy, Yosuke’s a boy, Kanji-chan’s a boy, so I wanted to be a boy!” the smile he gave was bright and innocent, like his logic was perfectly sound, “and Yuki-chan, Chie-chan, Rise-chan and Nao-chan are girls!”

Cobalt brow rose further, “How do you _know_ that?”

He shrugged, “Kuma?”

Naoto scratched her head, “Very well, being as basic as possible,” she glanced at the boy-shadow, going into a short lecture. “Physiologically speaking, there are two physical sexes in humans: male and female, with the occasional, but extremely rare, mutations resulting in hermaphrodites, typically because of a chemical imbalance or genetic abnormality. Physically these people can appear the same as anyone else only their sex organs are either split, mingled, or some other variant combination outside the norm…”

Teddie just smiled and Naoto couldn’t tell if he understood anything she said.

This garnered a slight frown from the girl, “Gender… is the mental understanding and acceptance of…” scratches under cap, “It’s how one views their own sex, whether a reflection of the physical one they have or otherwise,” tugs cap down, “generally speaking, Gender, like Orientation, as a mental aspect, does not work in monochromatic differing with exceptions like biological sex but more… along a spectrum that’s mostly ‘grey area’…”

“oooooooh… that makes sense, kuma!” Teddie smiled brightly.

Steel-blue eyes blinked, “It-it does?”

“Mmmhmm!” He nodded vehemently, “Like how you dress like a boy and Kan-chan likes doing girly things,” he opened his arms wide in a dramatic accepting manner, “it doesn’t mean you’re not a girl and he’s not a boy, you’re just not like the others cause that doesn’t matter!”

Naoto just sighed, “I wish it was that simple…”

“Kuma?”

Frustrated, Naoto continues, “Since you brought it up, I’ll use myself as an example,” she stares at him directly, “Due to my… choices, in the past, to pursue a male appearance and even masqueraded as male, others would presume I have a disorder called ‘Gender Dysphoria’ or that I **_want_** to be male or think I’m male,” she held up her hand to stop his comment, “I do not. Unlike individuals who actually have this disorder or general confusion of their gender, which is normal for my age, I do not.” Waving one hand she gestures to her whole body, and says firmly, “I am female, I was born female. My lamentation and charade comes in how _society_ sees me as female, not any actual personal discomfort with my birth gender.” Her gaze went to the ground as her voice clipped momentarily, “I… I pretended to be male… because I was afraid… afraid I would be barred from my chosen profession due to my gender, and as my experience has shown me, there is a grave disparity in how women are treated in such a profession and a huge lack of understanding, acceptance, or even exposure that female detectives **_do_** exist…” Naoto looks away, mostly ashamed, “I was misinformed as a child and made a decision based on flawed logic at the time…”

Teddie leans to the side, trying to catch her gaze, “like what?”

She glances at him, “simple binary equation.” She held up both hands in front of her, pointing her index finger on her left hand up, “all the detectives I’ve seen are male, literal or actual,” she raised the index finger on her right hand, “I am a detective,” she brought the two together, making it look like one point, “therefore I must be male, see?”

Teddie nods, “That makes sense,” then looks at her again, “but you’re not… kuma?”

Naoto gave a small smile, “I know, it has been something… I’ve been needing to learn myself…”

Short silence.

“But as I told Yukiko-senpai,” she puts her hands down back into her coat pockets, “it’s not **_my_ ** opinion on my gender that was the problem, it was how others saw me as my birth gender…” steel-blue eyes stare at Teddie honestly, “frankly, I don’t care, that was never an issue for me personally,” then looks down, “Though my choices have stunted my understanding and growth in some areas, and added to my own problems in others…” there was a small pause as she glanced to the side, almost pouting, “I still prefer pants.”

“I dunno, I had fun in a dress!” Cheery as always, Teddie excitedly proclaimed, holding a hand up as if waiting for a high five.

Naoto just smiles at him, “and you are a unique entity Teddie-san,” a hand rose to hold her chin, his proclamation reminding her of something, “though there are a number of men, straight men in fact, that would agree with such a statement, though its more common in western countries…”

“Really!” the sparkles went into overdrive.

Naoto didn’t seem to notice, just pondering, “Yes, full shows and competitions with men in… generally feminine attire, its considered a form of entertainment though many chose it because they like it…”

Excitedly, Teddie claps, bouncing up and down, “Ooh! I want to see one of these shows, Kuma!”

There was a strained smile from the detective, “I doubt Yosuke-senpai would approve…”

“Aww,” he pouts momentarily before cheering up again, “Ne! so is that all about the thingy I was asking?”

“W-well, no…” Naoto nervously smiles, “That was just the first part, gender, the second is orientation and I assume by context with the first you mean sexual orientation?”

A nod and head tilt from the bear.

The young detective blushes slightly, “Well, that is also somewhat complex…”

Pumping his fists, Teddie proclaimed boldly, “I believe in you Nao-sensei!”

That only made her more nervous, “I-I will try my best.” Momentarily she ruffles, “Like gender its primarily a mental distinction, where gender is how one views themselves in a certain manner, sexual orientation is how one views others… in the same context,” coughs.

“You mean like sparkling?” it was funny that that was a legitimate question.

Naoto simply looked at him, “Ye-yes… like… sparkling?” blink. “How you flirt-er _sparkle_ , at others would convey your orientation to others, such as the fact you have no qualms _sparkling_ at anyone…”

“Hmm…” Teddie crossed his arms and tilted his head, “Can you give me another example, Nao-chan? I don’t think I get it if you use me…”

She gave another light smile, “Yes, that seems noteworthy, hrm…” her hand returned to her chin as she considered this deeply, “As of right now I am… unclear on my own orientation, I’ve masqueraded as male so long and been so focused on my work I never honestly considered romantic entanglements with others, let alone whether or not I find any attractive…” head tilt, “And I don’t think Rise or our senpai are a good example either, as there seems to be some questionable fluidity amongst all of them…”

“Kuma?”

Her face turned a bit red, “T-there is… well, Kanji-san… he is a… unique view to examine…”

“You mean how he wants to sparkle at you but doesn’t know how?” the boy-shadow said with a completely straight face, smiling.

“Y-yes… that…” she coughs, looking away, “I mean him no disrespect, he is an admirable ally, and physically a prime example of masculine physique, especially when compared to the others, but his hobbies make others doubt this, even though they make sense for someone raised to be a tailor, but that’s not…” notices Teddie staring and she’s rambling, “Pardon, my focus slipped…”

“Kan-chan just likes you, Kuma, does that mean he’s Naoto-oriented?” again, completely straight faced.

Her blush returned and she tucks her cap, “I have observed this notion, but…” a glance at Teddie, “Teddie, you knew him before, correct, when he was kidnapped… how did his… _interest_ appear?”

He tilts his head, “Well, Sensei and the others thought it was strange, but Kan-chan just seemed interested in Nao-chan, but I didn’t know you then, the others just said you were a detective, so I though Kan-chan liked detectives~ then when I met you, you seemed really cool, so I guess he likes cool types?”

Steel-blue eyes narrow on him, “Teddie, before my shadow revealed my sex, did you know I was female?”

He just blinked, “Was I not supposed to, kuma?”

She stares a moment before going back to musing, “I suppose that makes sense, as a shadow you seem to have an altered perception of reality, and luckily no concept of the… burdens society places on us with perceptions…”

He just sparkles.

“But, back to the point,” she turns away, “Kanji-san is an interesting example as he showed attraction before true identity was known, yet despite that his attraction did not waver after my true sex was revealed…” Her head tilted in deep thought, “Normally, someone is attracted to another by physical cues, such as the obvious signs of male/female sex…”

“Like how you called Kan-chan really masculine?” Teddie pointed out.

“Yes,” Naoto blinked, “like how I noted Kanji-san is physically a prime example of male-” then cuts herself off and glares at Teddie, before looking away, “It seems I find his physical form quite appealing, hmm…”

“And that means?” he just smiles.

Naoto blushes but hides it under her hat, “If I were to _truly_ accept this anecdote, it would appear I am what is considered a ‘straight female’ as I find his extremely masculine physique quite appealing… and comfortable…” her gaze is slightly dazed before she shakes her head and throws the idea out, “But that’s simply a genetic bias, as a female it makes sense I would, on some level, be attracted to such…”

Teddie leaned around the other side, “Like how Rise-san is to sensei?”

“Like Rise-san is to our senpai, yes…” There was not a relieved sigh as if she were glad for the segue, “though her actions on the matter are far more overt and that of someone actually _seeking_ to form a romantic engagement, though the level of sincerity of that is in question considering her strange fascination with my…” a sour look crossed the young detective’s face as she cleared her throat, “nevermind.”

“Your bust size!” Teddie merely smiled, not realizing anything wrong with his _absolutely_ correct inference.

There was suddenly a growl next to him, “Yes, _that_ …” Naoto takes a deep breath, just a moment to not throttle him, “As I was saying… Kanji is an outlier, but not an unheard of example of less known, unconventional orientations. Due to his unaltered attraction towards me despite what gender I am, suggests his attraction is triggered by something else, but unlike say, _Rise-san_ , who is attracted physically to, possibly, both genders, and would be considered bisexual, Kanji-san has _only_ expressed attraction in… me,” pause to blush, “so it is reasonable to believe he is an example of a lesser known orientation called demisexual, which is considered someone only attracted to another via an emotional bond, or as the more laymen consideration, someone who has ‘laser-guided attraction’ and, again, only attracted to one individual despite orientation, sex, gender, or more commonly understood factors…”

Teddie leaned closer to her, curious, “What about you?”

There was a small blush and cap tuck, “As I expressed, it is not something I’ve… particularly considered before…” She may have glanced to the side, considering, “though recent examination suggests I’m attracted to masculine qualities, but…” biting her lip, she sits down on the curb, “If I were to truly… consider such, basing attraction on male physical traits is ludicrous and sexist…”

Teddie plops down next to her, “Rise-san says it’s okay to like pretty things…”

“Rise- _san”_ there was _not_ a growl there, “is also one of those people I consider highly suspect in everything she does…”

 Teddie leaned forward, twiddling his thumbs in front of him, “Is that mean?”

“… perhaps,” Naoto just gave a deeper sigh, “I had… once, considered, if I were to find an amicable partner, they would be reasonably intelligent, good with technical work, and could help me on my cases…” she looked away, “I honestly thought the romantic subplots of most detective novels to be shallow and little more than titillation as it never truly brought any help to the case, generally just a stream of flawed moves, unnecessary complications and cheapened the piece as a whole…”

“And now?” a small smile may have picked at the edge of the sparkly boy’s lips.

“I don’t know…” she kicked a rock, “I am, as much as I hate to admit, only a _child_ still, not far from being an adult legally, but there is much I still don’t understand about social norms or such things as romantic entanglements that the others my age, and older, seem fascinated with…” she props her head on her hand, “Frankly, I just don’t understand it… I know the definitions, I know the meanings of the words, but I do not understand how others make sense of this _grey_ area that has no concrete defining or set of rules to abide and follow…” there was a defeated sigh, “It doesn’t make any sense, Teddie-san.”

“I think it makes sense!” the blonde brightly exclaimed.

She turns to him with a raised brow, “Mind explaining?”

He gave a bright smile, “all those words you threw out and long sentences don’t matter! The perfect partner you’re looking for is right in front of you!”

Her brow raises higher, “I don’t see how you fit anything I said, Teddie-san…”a long sigh, “I-I value you as a friend and fellow team member, but I feel no direct attraction towards you. I am very sorry if you feel otherwise… you being right here… well… I don’t think we would be a good match, you and I…”

He grabs her chin and points her to look across the street, and a bit down the way, Kanji is sweeping the street in front of his shop.

Naoto blushes slightly before turning to glare at the blonde as best she could, “Have you heard anything I said, Teddie-san? I stated I did not want to-”

“Blah, blah, blah, kuma!” he waves her off, “You said you wanted a guy who’s smart! And can work with his hands! And help you on your cases! Right?” he smiles, sparkles and waves his hand, “Kan-chan is really nice! He runs the shop for his mom so he’s got to be smart! And all the things he can make! Plus he doesn’t think like you, and Rise-san says it’s good to have differences, so that you can cover each other’s weaknesses or what you miss!”

The young detective frowns, “Any advice from Rise-san is dubious at best…”

“Now, now, Nao-chan!” he waves his finger at her, “Think about it! Chie-chan and Yuki-chan are fire and ice, Chie-chan’s weak to fire and Yuki-chan ice, but by working together they can cover each other in case they meet a scary shadow that would hurt either of them! Together they can get more done then apart!”

Naoto eyes him dubiously, then glances down the street, “Sukuna-Hikona doesn’t have any weaknesses so the point is moot…” even if it made her feel a bit put out.

“So?” again Teddie pops up in her vision, “Kan-chan’s Take-chan is weak to wind, sure, but he’s got A LOT of life, so he can weather most things, while your guy is fast but can’t take many hits…”

She pouted, “Are you suggesting I use him as a shield?”

He merely gave a shrug, “I’m sure he’d do it on his own, so long as you take the bad guy out quick enough he’s fine in the end?”

Naoto blushes as she realizes that scenario was extremely polarizing; the guy defending the girl, though depending on her to deal the final blow. It was more appealing than the general route such a scenario went, “Hmm…”

Teddie bumps her with his shoulder, “He’s no sensei, but I don’t think you need a sensei,” sparkle, “You need someone who sees you for who you are and can rely on you like you rely on them!”

She glances up at him from under her cap, “Sometimes, Teddie-san, your words hold far more wisdom than I give you credit for.”

“Hehe!” sparkles, “Oh! By the way, since you said all that stuff earlier about what I asked,” he points at himself, “What would you categorize me?!”

Raising a brow, Naoto looks the shadow-boy up and down before giving a light smile, “Teddie-san, you are a shadow,” he sulks but she keeps smiling, “To judge you based on our limited human understanding is… flawed. Though I will say, you have more of a choice in your gender then we do, **_you_** choose the form you show us, so you are what you show us.”

“And that is a dashing young man, looking for romance~” complete with sparkles and dramatic pose.

“Heh, as for your orientation,” she sighs lightly, “You love everyone, Teddie, romantically, platonically, innocently, you simply truly love everyone.”

“Hehe,” he scratches the back of his head, taking that as a compliment obviously, “The world’s a lot brighter place with sparkles in it, don’t you think?”

Her eyes glanced past him to a certain young tailor a moment, “Perhaps…”

“Kuma!”


End file.
